Sheldon S. Sones, RPh, FASCP, is president of Sheldon S. Sones and Associates, a pharmacy and accreditation consulting firm based in Newington, Conn. He discusses six things surgery centers should do to manage controlled drug deviations. To help prevent controlled drug deviations, read "10 Things to Do to Minimize Controlled Drug Deviations."
1. In cases of suspected deviations, assign two individuals to independently review relevant paper trails to assure the deviation is not a paper deviation that is resolvable. Do the math. In my experience, almost always the "loss" is not a loss but rather a mathematical error
2. Keep a log of all calls and discussions relating to this matter.
3. Go up the chain. Make sure leadership is aware of the concern. This means the administrator, medical director, corporate and, importantly, the "registrant." This is the person in whose name the controlled drug license is registered.
4. Contact your pharmacy consultant.
5. Do not play "detective." Tabulate the facts as they are known and the state agency will direct subsequent steps should they be contacted.
6. If the deviation cannot be resolved within the work day, the pharmacy consultant, in collaboration with leadership, should arrange for proper notification and documentation to appropriate federal and state authorities as required by law and regulation
Learn more about Sheldon S. Sones and Associates and www.sheldonsones.com.
Read more insight from Sheldon Sones:
- Frequency of Narcotic and Pharmacy Audits
- How Long Does an ASC Need to Keep Drug Recall Notices